Electric fitting



Dec. 5, 1933. PROPP ELECTRIC FITTING Filed April 4, 1930 u IIIIIIIIIIII' lNvENToR 31 2e, W 29 AT; RNEY Patented Dec. 5, 1933 PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC FITTING Louis Propp, New YYork, N. Y.-

Aplllctoii April 4, 1930. Serial No. 441,502 C 1 claim. (c1. 173-338)V This invention relates to electric fittings, such as attachment sockets for use in outdoor illumination and the like purposes, and an object thereof is to provide a fitting of the character described i adapted to receive blades of an attachment plug, having means for effectively closing the blade receiving openings when the plug is removed, to prevent rain, moisture or the like from entering the socket.

) Another object of this invention is to provide a fitting of the character described which shall be comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, comprise few and simple parts, easy to assemble and manipulate, and which shall yet be positively i water-proof and practical and efficient to a high degree.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplifled in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claim. In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fitting embodying the invention showing the plug and socket separated;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 4 and showing the position of the parts with the blade receiving openings covered;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the socket with 5 parts broken away to show the interior construction;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the socket with the rear cover removed;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 0 5-5 of Fig. 4 and showing the position of the parts of the socket when receiving the plug blades.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, designates a tting embodying the invention com- 5 prising a socket 11 adapted to cooperate with a plug 12 for tapping current from said socket. 'Ihe socket 11 comprises a base 14 of insulating material and preferably is cylindrical in shape. The front face of the base 14is preferably recessed, as at 15, for snugly receiving an annular disc or cover 16 attached to the base by means of a screw 1'? having a head 18 received in a countersunk opening 19 in said disc. Preferably, the disc 16 is rotatable within said recess and frictionally retained in any position to which the disc may be rotated by said head 18. Said disc is provided with a pair of parallel openings 20 for receiving in the manner hereinafter appearing, the blades 22 of said plug 12.

The rear face 24 of said base 14 is likewise re- 30 cessed to form a depressed wall or surface 25, for the purpose hereinafter appearing. Said base is furthermore formed with a semi-annular recess 26 communicating at the ends thereof with a pair of parallel thru passages 28 formed in said base 65 and interconnecting the front and rear surfaces thereof. Mounted within each recess 28 is a spring contact member 29 having a foot 30 'folded over and resting lon the ledge 31 formed by said recessed portion 26. The rim ange 32 of the base 70 14 formed by the recess portions 25 and 26 is provided with a longitudinal notch or cutout portion 33 for the purpose hereinafter described.

A pair of conductor wires 34 connected to the foot portions of said contact member 29, as 75 by soldering or in any other suitable manner, extend within the recess 26 and out of the socket thru' said notch or cut out portion 33. For retaining the spring contact members and the attached end portions of the conductors 34 within 80 the socket, there is provided a cap or rear cover 40 having an annular portion 41 received within the recess 25 and within the rim ange 32 of the base. The inner surface 42 of said cap portion 41 is adapted to contact the attached ends of the 85 conductors 34 for retaining the spring contact members 29 within the passages 28. Said cap 40 is furthermore provided with a portion adapted to contact the end of the rim flange 32, and an extension 44 adapted to project partially into 90 the notch 33 for pressing the conductor wires 34 against the base 14 and thus provide a tight, leak-proof fit for substantially preventing rain or moisture from entering the socket thru said notch 33. The cap may furthermore be pro- 95 vided with an axial central screw threaded opening for receiving the screw threaded end 46 of said screw 17, whereby the single screw 17 serves to assemble the base 14, the disc 16 and the cap 40. 100

The operation of the device will now be clear. In' the position shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing, the openings 20 in the disc 16 are aligned with v the passages 28 so that the blades 22 of said plug 12 may be inserted into said passages 28 105 for tapping current from the conductors 34. When the socket is not in -use however, and the plug 12 has been removed, theA disc 16 may be rotated for disaligning the openings20 with respect to passages 28 as shown in Fig. 2 of the 11 drawing. in this manner, the iront ends of the passages 28 are completely covered and entrance of moisture, rain, snow or the like into said passages is eiectively prevented.

It will be noted that the plug 12 may be used as a tool for rotating the disc 16. This may be done by inserting the ends or tips of the blades 22 into the openings 20 and rotating the plug 12 for causing corresponding rotation of the disc 16. In this manner, the disc may easily and quickly turned to any desired position.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in Which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is Well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

An electrical attachment tting comprising an insulating base having a recess at one end thereof insane@ forming a rim ange, and a pair of parallei through openings extending to said recess, the bottom wall of said recess being formed with a groove communicating with said openings, said flange having a notch formed therein and communicating with said groove, a pair of spring contact members slidably and removably received Within said openings, conductor Wires attached to said spring contact members and extending from said tting and having portions within said groove and notch, a cap for said end of said base having a portion fitting into said recess, a portion contacting the end edge of said rim ange, and a portion extending into said notch for pressing the portions of said conductors within said notch against said base, said base being provided at the other end thereof with a recess, a at annular disc rotatably received Within said last mentioned recess, a single member for rotatably attaching said disc to said base and xing said cap to said base, said disc being formed with a pair of parallel openings adapted to be aligned with said pair of parallel through openings.

LOUIS PROPP. 

